I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 157: Chapter 153: Poverty cannot be shifted

Translator: 549690339

The dispassionate and cold words were uttered by Xu Lao Ying, his face still bearing traces of fatigue, coming across as harmless as any big brother next door.

These words sent shockwaves through Gong Zheng, who was kneeling on the ground, he couldn’t believe that the former showed neither interest nor moved by his proposal. Could it be that they were not picking on him due to his collusion with Mi Hou? For a moment, he was at a loss about how to respond to this.

Tang Luo, holding a handkerchief over his nose, said indifferently, “Have done so many utterly conscienceless and inhuman things, don’t pretend to have morals or feelings now.”

These days, to help Xu Lao Ying find Gong Zheng, he had published a task in the Martial Hall, which was to investigate the connection between the Righteous Gang and Gong Zheng.

Although Gong Zheng had disguised himself as a beggar and used a pretty good concealment technique to dodge the hunt, the case file against the Righteous Gang had been placed on Tang Luo’s desk.

It was only after reading these case files that he came to realize the so-called ”righteousness” of the Righteous Gang.

Xihng had an order prohibiting farming, so those civilians who had not sought refuge under the noble families could only earn a living by doing odd jobs. Some skilled individuals could still get by, but they were also subject to extortion by the locals.

For instance, a family owning a small food shop could barely make twenty or thirty gold pieces a day, and after deducting the cost of the ingredients, they could earn about ten gold pieces or so. However, if they were operating in West City, they had to pay the Righteous Gang a protection fee of two hundred gold pieces per month.

If they did not pay up, the gang would send people to destroy their business. They might even destroy your shop if you dared to retaliate. For these people who had no capacity to establish their clans, the martial experts of the Righteous Gang were already the top masters they could reach. What capacity did they have to resist?

What’s even more ridiculous is how unabashedly the Righteous Gang collected these protection fees as this was a duty entrusted to them by the West City’s Garrison Command and there was no place to lodge a complaint.

These were the civilians who had some business acumen. Although life was tough, they were not starving or freezing.

But then there were those commoners without any special skills, their life was a tragedy. They all had to work extremely hard to scrape a living, with some of them directly signing contracts with certain clans to serve as slaves in order to feed their families.

The Righteous Gang did not forget to exploit these people either. Do you work outside leaving your home empty? Do you want to protect your family? Pay the Righteous Gang a protection fee, or otherwise, the next time you come back, your family might have disappeared.

Besides these, lending money at high interest rates in gambling dens and providing girls in brothels were basic business operations for the Righteous Gang.

In plain terms, the so-called gangs were just a group of united scum, committing heinous and despicable deeds, while the civilians were forced to swallow their anger and grievances, as the Garrison Command, which was supposed to enforce justice for them, was also in cahoots with the Righteous Gang.

The Garrison Command was a special place, it was an institution formed by the noble clans to maintain order, deal with civilians’ disputes. However, because they were all consist of the noble families, they had no restraining power over the clans themselves. Later on, the main function of the Garrison Command became to render justice for the civilians, but how could they deliver justice when they were one with the clans?

Nicknamed “The City of Peace”, Xiling was a place that looked like heaven for the various clans, both big and small, but for the civilians, it was nothing less than hell.

The reason was the existence of these so-called gangs. Every member of the Righteous Gang deserved to be beheaded, there won’t be any injustice, wrongful convictions or mistaken sentences.

Looking at Gong Zheng, who had collapsed on the ground, Tang Luo didn’t feel any pity in his heart. Because of the numerous civilians who had been ruined by the Righteous Gang, he didn’t know how many of them had cried and shouted, but they hadn’t shown any mercy then.

So, his current state was just an instance of karma, nothing more.

Gong Zheng gritted his teeth and looked up at Tang Luo, “This humble one deserves to die, but please spare my three-year-old daughter and my kind-hearted wife who are innocent. I beg you, Young Master Tang, to save them, in name of their innocence.”

“I have accumulated quite a fortune over these years, millions in gold, and a Spiritual Armor worth ten million in gold. I am willing to give all of it to you, in exchange for the lives of my wife and daughter.”

With that, Gong Zheng took out a piece of spirit jade from his bosom and held it up with both hands, and then he banged his head on the ground. He was ready to accept any decision.

Tang Luo sneered. Trying to tempt with profits after failing to humble down Gong Zheng really underrated Xu Lao Ying thinking that he would be swayed by gold. This was nothing but a joke, right, cousin?

Tang Luo looked up and saw Xu Lao Ying, who was indifferent throughout.

He saw the latter coughing a little and then said seriously, “Trying to move me with mere riches, you are underestimating this Xu guy!”

Tang Luo nodded, he was expecting this.

Gong Zheng was devastated. When Xu Lao Ying said “mere riches,” he knew he had lost his high-stakes gamble.

The primary reason why Tang Luo and Xu Lao Ying came to kill him was actually for that poor scholar, and not because they discovered his collusion with Mi Hou and the Righteous Gang. And once they no longer wanted to expose the collusion between the Righteous Gang and Mi Hou, it also meant that even his last value was lost.

The injuries from ten days ago were far from healed, he couldn’t use the escape technique, thus escaping from their hands was out of the question.

Gong Zheng closed his eyes in agony, thinking of his wife and daughter, he felt a faint regret.

“But, considering your three-year-old daughter’s innocence and your wife’s good nature, I can help save them.” Xu Lao Ying crossed his arms and then continued in a righteous and dignified manner, which won admiration from people around him.

Aren’t you just purely after money!? Tang Luo screamed inside, silently watching him.

Gong Zheng, who had given up, was surprised at Xu Lao Ying’s words. He hastily stood up and handed over the spirit jade and a key from his bosom to Xu Lao Ying, speaking the address of the secret vault hastily as though afraid that he might back out.

“Do you have any other last words?” Xu Lao Ying took the spirit jade and key in one hand and made a sword sign with the other, a scarlet sword aura appeared between his index and middle fingers and he asked coldly.

Gong Zheng stood up with a smile on his face, facing Xu Lao Ying with his arms open, ready to accept the execution, he said, “As long as you can save my wife and daughter, Gong Zheng can die without any regrets.”

“Very well!” Xu Lao Ying nodded to Gong Zheng, ready to thrust the sword aura into the latter’s forehead.

“Stop!” said Tang Luo, covering his mouth and nose, looking at the two and their actions, he then muttered.

Are they both so thoughtless?